US embassy cable - 04DUBLIN945

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DUBLIN 000945 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, PHUM, EUN 
SUBJECT:  NO IMMIGRANTS NEED APPLY? IRISH OVERWHELMINGLY 
PASS CITIZENSHIP REFERENDUM 
 
Reftel: Dublin 00743 
 
1.  (SBU) Summary.  On June 11th, 2004, the Irish 
electorate overwhelmingly approved a referendum that 
eliminated the automatic right of Irish citizenship to all 
children born on the island of Ireland. While many 
referendum opponents claimed the voters were motivated by 
xenophobia, a more balanced view attributes the result to 
growing Irish anxiety about competition for jobs and 
services in a newly expanded European Union.  End Summary. 
 
Background 
---------- 
 
2.  (SBU) Ireland's days as a net exporter of people are 
long over.  The population of the country has climbed to 
3.9 million, and an unemployment rate well below the EU 
average has made Ireland an increasingly popular 
destination for immigrants, both legal and illegal.  Until 
now, Ireland was the only country in the European Union to 
grant citizenship to every person born within its 
sovereign territory, making Ireland an even more 
attractive immigrant destination.  In January 2003, the 
Irish Supreme Court held that non-national parents of 
citizen children were not automatically entitled to Irish 
citizenship.  However, this did little to combat the 
growing perception that many foreigners were coming to 
Ireland for the purpose of what Justice Minister McDowell 
dubbed "citizenship tourism" - exploitation of the social 
welfare system. 
 
3.  (SBU) As concerns mounted over Ireland remaining the 
sole EU nation with such generous citizenship laws, the 
government undertook to amend the constitution via the 
required referendum process.  The referendum campaign was 
lukewarm and stirred little public debate.  Several days 
before the election, newspaper reporting indicated that 
only 50% of the public considered itself well informed on 
the issue.  The phrasing of the referendum question added 
to the confusion, as a "yes" vote was actually a vote 
against automatic citizenship. 
 
The Referendum 
-------------- 
 
4.  (SBU) The referendum passed by a four to one margin -- 
79% "yes" to 20%  "no."  Voter turnout was unusually high 
(60%, a 10 % increase from 2002) with many commentators 
speculating that the decision to hold the referendum on 
the same day as local and European Parliament (EP) 
elections ensured voters would make the trip to the 
polling station.  The result was a surprise to many, as 
the liberal Irish press did a poor job gauging the 
electorate's mood on the subject.  Local and EP voters who 
supported Sinn Fein, Labour and the Greens (who all 
opposed the referendum) were as likely to vote for the 
referendum as those who plumped for the government 
parties. 
 
5.  (SBU) Now that the automatic right of citizenship has 
been removed from the constitution, the Dail will consider 
(and likely pass) legislation tightening Ireland's 
citizenship laws.  Under the proposed legislation, one 
parent must be resident in Ireland for three out of four 
years for the child to receive Irish citizenship.  This 
policy will bring Ireland much closer to the citizenship 
laws in other EU member states. 
 
6.  (SBU) The new laws will not apply to UK nationals. 
The government adopted this measure to assuage 
nationalists in Northern Ireland who were concerned that 
their automatic right to Irish citizenship (guaranteed 
under the Good Friday Agreement) would be brought into 
question. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
7.  (SBU) The referendum result was anomalous in an 
election that saw the governing Fianna Fail and 
Progressive Democrat parties take a beating in both local 
and European Parliament elections.  It would be tempting 
to read the referendum as a positive sign for Ahern's 
government, but this would be a mistake.  The Irish 
economy has been sluggish for quite some time (though 
recent signs point to a speedy recovery, and the recent EU 
enlargement saw many Irish and British media outlets 
reporting stories about large numbers of poorer Eastern 
Europeans eager take advantage of their right to live and 
work throughout the EU.  Exit polling suggests that the 
electorate was concerned with economic competition from a 
growing immigrant population, as well as a perception that 
immigrants are abusing the asylum system.  In an election 
that otherwise saw Fianna Fail suffer huge losses, the 
referendum should not be viewed as a victory.